Blog

Health information is harder to understand for certain people in our communities.

Many adults in the United Kingdom read at the level of a nine to eleven-year-old and 61 per cent struggle with numeric health information, such as dosage instructions or explanations of risk.

Access to digital devices and the internet is a challenge, the rising cost of broadband, unreliable coverage and privacy while online, can make engaging with digital healthcare difficult.

On top of this, almost 10 million adults lack the basic digital skills needed to use online health services confidently and effectively.

When these factors combine, people can be left confused, unsure or unable to take the right action. If not properly considered, this can widen health inequalities and compromise high‑quality care.

These issues are not just seen in the data, they have real life impacts. In my role helping to facilitate a health literacy community of practice, I’ve seen firsthand how easily misunderstandings can happen when health information is unclear.

When people find medication instructions hard to follow, the print is too small, the packaging too similar and the language too technical, it’s far too easy for mistakes to be made. And when they do, it reminds us that clear information is not a nice‑to‑have, it is essential for confidence and safety.

Language and the challenge of health information

Language plays a key role in understanding health information. The 2021 Census shows that after English, the most common main languages in England and Wales include Polish, Romanian, Panjabi and Urdu.

In parts of Yorkshire, languages such as Urdu, Panjabi, Polish and Bengali are widely spoken and when English is not spoken or understood, even simple information can be difficult to understand.

Communication is two‑way. Healthcare staff work hard to understand patients and families. If communication fails, important information can be missed, which could affect their care.

To support this agenda, we co-ran a quarterly, virtual Health Literacy Community of Practice (COP) in collaboration with our partners from the Regional Health Literacy Team for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria.

The COP has become a respected and valuable event – one not to be missed! It brings people together from many roles across healthcare to focus on one question: How can we make health information clearer, simpler and more useful for everyone?

Why practical tools matter

Each session is based on real practice, not theory. We look at what has worked well in different settings across healthcare and what still needs to improve. We also share practical tools that make communication easier.

Rather than showcase innovators, we hear from healthcare services who share their learning of using, piloting or trialling innovation to reduce health inequalities.

I’ve often used the ‘lead by example’ approach in my career to implement change in complex healthcare systems and there is usually someone who has done it before, who is happy to share their learning so that good innovation can spread quickly.

Practical tools are showcased and demonstrated, for example:

• The NHS Readability Tool helps staff check how easy their writing is to understand.
• Care to Translate offers safe, medically approved translation in more than 130 languages. Recording of Dec 2025 COP on NHS Futures.
• Written Medicine supports pharmacies to print bilingual medication labels in major languages, helping people understand how and when to take their medicines. Recording of Dec 2025 COP on NHS Futures.
• Pocketalk is used in many UK healthcare settings to support two‑way, instant translation in real time. Recording of Feb 2026 COP on NHS Futures.

These innovations matter because they reflect the languages and needs of our communities. If many people speak and read, for example, Polish, Urdu or Panjabi, then translation support and bilingual labels are essential for safe, effective care.

Our presenters shared real-world learning and experience of implementing and using these within healthcare settings.

Learning together to support safer care

Another strength of the COP is providing space for honest discussions. Colleagues share examples of misunderstandings, how information has been improved and what difference plain language support has made.

We talk openly about how to reduce risk by making information clearer, checking understanding and offering information in the right languages. These conversations are real, practical and based on day‑to‑day work.

It’s fantastic to see attendance continue to grow. Last year’s events saw more than 100 attendees for each meetin, demonstrating there is a strong appetite for simple, practical approaches that help people get clearer information.

COP sessions highlight real-world examples and tools that the workforce can use immediately. They also support wider system priorities, reducing inequalities, improving accessibility, supporting co-design and building sustainable approaches.

Updates from the regional NHS England team provide national context and help connect local learning with wider priorities.

As we look ahead, the focus remains on improving understanding, supporting language‑inclusive communication, embedding plain language principles and sharing examples that colleagues can apply in their own settings.

Health literacy is not about expecting people to fit around our systems. It is about shaping communication so that people feel informed, confident and safe, whatever their reading level, background or first language.

The COP continues to grow, with national registrations and an opportunity to build an even wider community, committed to clearer, safer and more inclusive communication.

As this next phase develops, the North East and North Cumbria ICS and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria will be shaping and taking the work forward through 2026/27.

Join the growing community at the next Health Literacy COP, 23 June.

Ellen Barnes is the Workstream Lead for our Medicines Safety Improvement Programme.